OSHAWA -- Brenda Romeo cries about the loss of Cody each day, and struggles with the guilt of leaving her beloved pet in the hands of a facility that would later be charged by both police and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

"It hurts every day," she says.

Ms. Romeo and her daughter Andrea brought their healthy six-year-old miniature dachshund to FACW K9 Training ad Rehabilitation Centre in Oshawa on March 30 for a month of behavioural training.

Nine days later, workers called her to say Cody was ill and had to be picked up. Ms. Romeo immediately picked up her dog and brought him to a veterinarian.

"He died six hours later," says the devastated pet owner.

The SPCA has since laid charges against owner Craig Wright for permitting distress and causing distress to a dog and failing to comply with prescribed standards of care.

He also faces one police charge for obstructing justice in connection with a dog that went missing from the training centre.

Debby Houghton, an animal cruelty investigator with the local SPCA, confirmed that a miniature dachshund died at FACW K9 Training in April, but declined to elaborate on what happened.

She said the case is in court May 31.

"If anyone is convicted under this legislation, they can face jail time or fines of up to $60,000 and be prohibited from owning animals for a lifetime," she says. "It's very strong legislation."

Ms. Romeo isn't the only one to lose a dog to FACW K9 Training.

Oshawa resident Linda Fry thought something strange was going on when Mr. Wright tried to convince her that her dog shouldn't be neutered.

Earlier this month, her family adopted a one-year-old border collie named Chevy. The dog was a rescue who had been living outside and needed to be housebroken and trained.

Ms. Fry said they chose FACW because they had heard good things about the facility.

"My dog was gone within 24 hours of taking him there," she said. "This is a horror story."

Ms. Fry dropped Chevy at the training facility on Sunday May 8, then called the next morning to say she would be taking him to the vet to be fixed.

That's when Mr. Wright told her the dog had run away.

"He wouldn't give anybody a straight answer about where he left this dog or where this dog supposedly ran away from," she said. "He wasn't remorseful ... said he was a vicious dog and I was better off without it."

Durham Regional Police spokesman Dave Selby said Mr. Wright was charged with obstructing justice. Police believe he changed his story about Chevy's disappearance.

Mr. Selby said the owner initially said the dog ran away after being driven to a location in Ajax. He later recanted that story and told police the dog escaped from the Oshawa training centre.

Repeated calls to the FACW training centre were not returned, although Mr. Wright was on site when a This Week photographer visited the facility.

"Our big concern is that there are still dogs in there," said Texie Torok, a local animal advocate who runs a group called Storm's Animal Allies.

She said she has talked to other people who report that their dogs went missing from the facility.

"Several dogs missing like this is too much of a coincidence .... we have a facility that is calling itself a professional training centre and people need to know what's going on in there. They need to be shut down," Ms. Torok said.

Her group held a protest outside the centre on May 16 and plans to protest again Wednesday evening.

Ms. Romeo joined the recent protest, saying she wants to make sure no one else goes through the pain her family has experienced.

"He wasn't just a dog," she says. "He was a member of our family."

She cautions dog owners to thoroughly research training facilities before trusting someone with their dog, and suggests contacting their Humane Society or SPCA for reference checks before leaving a pet with a stranger.

According to the company website, FACW K9 Training and Rehabilitation uses "dog psychology" to improve the relationship between dogs and their owners.

Thank goodness for Ontario's tough animal protection legislation. Lets just hope that he is punished to the full extent of the law.

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"The animals share with us the privilege of having a soul." -Pythagoras
"The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different." -Hippocrates
"Let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world." -Jack Layton
"Be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi

I'll never understand owners who "leave" their dog at any training centre

Training should be about both the owner and puppy - so it really doesn't make any sense to allow a total stranger to train them without you being present. I feel some owners are looking for a "quick fix" but sadly (most if not all the time) it's not a quick or painless experience for the dog.

I only hope this horrible story will educate others who may of otherwise left their dogs to be trained without them there.

Just awful

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In rescuing animals I lost my mind but found my soul
~ anonymous ~

Happy-Cats,the news will not bring the dogs back,but at least this person will not be doing this to any other dogs.
I don't really understand why anyone would leave there dog for a whole month in what seems too be a"bootcamp",this person could do anything he wanted to these defenseless animals.

I read the story in the Star yesterday and it truly is a horror story.
One person had had her Bordercollie only one day,then leaving the dog with this monster,how could she do that to a dog??
I am willing to bet all the"missing"dogs are dead,the way this monster treated them.

I'll never understand owners who "leave" their dog at any training centre

Training should be about both the owner and puppy - so it really doesn't make any sense to allow a total stranger to train them without you being present. I feel some owners are looking for a "quick fix" but sadly (most if not all the time) it's not a quick or painless experience for the dog.

It can work and it can work well. I have done it and I have prevented SPCA regulars from ending up back in the shelter yet again. The owner attends follow-up sessions to be shown how to encourage the newly-learned good behaviours. What a horrific thought, though, that some "trainers" use boarding & training as an excuse to do anything behind doors that they would not do in front of the owner.

Well how many times has it been heard that you should NEVER leave your dogs with a trainer or behaviouralist or otherwise?

Another lesson learned.

This man is not a behaviorist.

I've been training dogs for many years. Never have I trained a dog with out the owner present. I teach owners how to work with their dog. And never have I raised my voice or used force to train a dog. If you need to resort to hitting, kicking, or hang a dog in order to train him/her then you aren't a good trainer and shouldn't be doing this job. Never trust a trainer that works with your dog behind closed doors. Unfortunately this type of training is not uncommon.

I've watched a video of his and the dog is cowering and afraid. It broke my heart. I really hope something is done to prevent him from working with animals again.